The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-08-18

Still uncovered waiting claimant,
Wounded TO the number q
forty filed the house VI
3 stairs and down, and the same faitf
slept since the wreck, were at thei
bedsides as on yesterday. In add
. ton to these there were at least a scor
of injured distributed among the pr
J vate residences of the town, too badl,
hurt to be removed.
REMOVING THE DEAD.
a few hours had scarcely elapsed
however, when the aspect of the depo
and other morgueS was completel-
were set to work boxing up the dead
forwarding them to Peoria and clean
ing out generally. They succeeded ad
mirably, and long before noon had an
pearances SO changed that chancs
visitor to Chatsworth could scarcely
have believed it the city of horror il
was last night and this morning.
| SENSATIONAL FEATURES
were developed this morning as to the
afioat last night that it was due to rob
berS, who fired the bridge, but little
credence was given this. This morn
ing new facts, apparently showing the
catastrophe to be the work of an organ
lied band, came to light, and the COM
pany find them worthy of serious inves-
tigation. superintendent Armstrong
said to the Associated Press reporter
that the more he Investigated themore
| it appeared to him that the bridge had
been set on fire. The burned grass in
the immediate vicinity was not of ma
ture that seemed likely to admit of the
bridge catching fire from it. He had
\ observed many thieves at work, and
had stopped them while despOiling
| the wreck Of property and from robbing
the dead who were being brought
to his attention. The excursion had
been extensively advertised and the
time it would pass over the bridge was
well known. Citizens say that a gang
of suspicious fellows have been lOlter-
ing around Chatsworth for several
days and many of these were found
early at the wreck, paying more atten-
ton to relieving bodies of their val
uables than caring for them otherwise,
and train men and passengers had fire.
quent contentious with the vandalS.
In one instance Superintendent Arm
strong found Well-known thief in
the depot room where prop
erty taken from the wreck was stored.
While the people of the town have done
all in their power for the sufferers,
there is horde of tramps and thieves
in this vicinity who carry off every
thing they can get their hands on.
CORoNER'S INQUEST.
CHICAGO, Aug. IA Times spe-
cial from Forest says: The coroner's in
quest which begun last night was held
on the top floor of the public school
house. There were present only the cor
Oner's jury, President Leonard of the
Toledo, Peoria s. Western railroad,
Superintendent Armstrong of the same
road, Master of Bridges Markly, JUS
tice of the Peace Estes and several re-
porters for the Chicago and Peoria pa
perS.
The first witness called was Superin-
tendent Armstrong. He testified that
he was on the Inflated train, which
consisted of six sleeping cars, two
chair cars, five passenger coaches,
one special Car and one baggage, drawn
by engine No. Is, E. McClintOck engin-
eer, Applegreen fireman, and engine
No. 81, Ed Sutherland engineer. En-
CINE No. Is was next to the baggage
car. The fireman's name of engine No.
13 witness did not recollect. His car
was next to the baggage car. The train
left ChatSWorth about 11:45 Wednes-
day night. After leaving he went into
his own car and sat there for three or
four minutes, when he felt fearful
shock to the train. The next instant
CdI PdSScu OfCI
He was thrown out of one of the win
dows into hedge fence near the right
of way. Steam was blowing off
from one of the engines and
hot water was burning him. He got
up and saw Train Dispatcher E. "A.
Parker, of Peoria, and his wife caught
in the baggage car. Witness got the
man loose, but could not get the wo-
man out. She was released later, how
ever. Mrs. Gould and daughter, wife
of the auditor Of the road, were Occu-
plying a stateroOm in special car. He
went to their assistance, and found
them uninjured. He then asked one of
the fremen where the front engine
was, and was told that Engineer Suth-
erland had gone to Gilman for help.
The engine came in about three quar-
tiers of an hour with doctors. The
wounded were taken out of the
wreck where possible and sent
to Chatsworth and Piper City, while all
of the dead were sent to ChatsWorth,
that being the county seat. The bridge
was only partly demolished when wit
ness first saw it, the stringers at both
ends having gone down. Dirt and
| brush were thrown on the flames. The
engine set fire to nothing, and only one
car and Pullman sleeper were slightly
burned. Witness met the section fore
man near the wreck after it occurred.
and the latter said that he went over
| the section at $50 Wednesday and
there was no fire there then. Witness
had warned him to have the section
hands go over the section after quit
| ting work knowing that the excursion
was going over the road that night. Nc
| train went over the bridge after $50
O'Clock Wednesday. Witness counted
| the tickets before reaching ChatWOOd
and found there were over 800 persons
aboard. He said that he believed there
were only three or four dead persons in
Piper City. Witness did not think il
possible that anybody could have beer
so fiendiSh as to burn the bridge. About
one week ago the grass along the right
of way near the bridge had been burned
off. The train was running, he judged
| about thirty-five miles per hour at the
time of the accident. Engineer Suther
land told him that he saw very small
blaze before reaching the bridge, but
thought it was leaves burning outside
the track. The engineer also told hin
that he did not see the fire until he go
directly over the bridge, and then III
called for brakes, but it was too late Il
avert the accident. Witness remained
at the wreck until o'clock in tn
morning and saw to the handling of tn
bodies. He saw one or two person
examining the pockets of the dead. HI
was informed by those making tn
, search that it was their relatives whom
they were searching. If he had hat
, any suspicion that the bodies were be
, ing rifled by these persons his suspicion
would have been disarmed by the wa,
} in which persons making search an
swered him. He saw no one robbins
: the dead or cutting off fingers from tn
! dead to secure rings. There was plen
, ty of help to get the bodies out of tn
wreck, valuable assistance being re1
] dered by the Chatsworth fire company
t In a corn field near the wreck he hear
t asman calling 'Help, help" TIL
8 witness went toward the scene an
3 found man with his left leg broke
5 above the ankle. The man asked hiI
to turn his toes down. Witness did 81
and told the farmers boy who cam
!, along with bucket of water to sta
near this man while witness went t
the assistance of others. In few mil
l | utes after leaving him witness heard
I shout and turning back found that til
L e